Monday 18th January 2010

No delays to Cupar and I am at my desk by 0915 - slightly cheesed off that 90% of the ice has vanished from the car park as my elbow has been killing me all weekend after Friday's exertions!

Phones are ringing and everyone is busy - good brochure response from the Tresco promotion. Ann is finalising an emailer going out to a large database of interested customers.

Both the Irish and German Tourist Boards are on, keen that they can work with us to help promote the gardens in their respective countries.

I spend some time sorting our my diary for 2011 (believe it or not!) I have a dozen or so requests to speak at various Garden Clubs throughout the country - I block off school holidays and dates I need to keep clear, they try and piece together the jigsaw of requests and my diary is virtually full - talk about wishing your life away!

The talks came about by us getting hold of a database of 6500 garden clubs throughout Britain, and about 18 months ago we sent out a postcard saying how lovely our garden tours were and we would be more than happy to quote for any group travel arrangements the Garden Club might require - an in almost a throwaway remark, the post card also stated that Mr Mitchell - the MD of Brightwater Holidays offers to come to your club and give a light-hearted talk about the trials and tribulations involved in setting up the country's leading Garden Holiday Company - well, I have been inundated with requests to speak from Aberdeen to Plymouth. It was probably a bad move saying that there was no charge for the talk, aside from perhaps a coffee and sandwich! So now about three times a month I am out spreading the word about Brightwater Holidays to church and village halls all around the country. White it is quite time consuming, I really enjoy meeting 'our public' and getting out and about.

Moira's birthday this time and the same huddle appears at 5.15 around her desk to wish her all the best, although it was thought prudent not to ask her how old she was!

It has been a beautiful - almost spring-like day today in Fife, with mild sunshine all day.

Thursday 14th January 2010

Have a good chat with Grant at the RHS who tells me they had only 13 visitors around Wisley gardens yesterday (gulp!) and I think we are quiet! We are discussing a promotion to drive more customers to the RHS website and then on to our site. Launch date beginning February. Fingers crossed.

It's Julie's birthday and at 5.15 we all huddle around her desk and wish her all the best and present her with a card and a bottle of fizz.

Wednesday 13th January 2010

Another early start - up at 0445!

It had continued to snow through the night but I am determined to get to the office. My car is rear wheel drive which is useless in snow, and I slide down the white roads to the A38 which at least has been gritted.

Going up the steep hill to Bristol Airport I don't think I am going to make it - I keep losing traction - 'Stay calm Graeme' I say to myself - 'Keep it in a low gear'. Sarah Kennedy is twittering away on my radio (what happened to Alex Lester?) I make it into the Long Stay car park which is thick with snow and I simply abandon the car near the entrance. In the airport all is normal - then the announcement of the first delay. One hour delayed then an hour on the plane as it gets de-iced. I text Ann in Accounts not to wait for me as she had offered to pick me up from the airport. I resign myself that it is going to be a long trip and immerse myself into my book (a biography of Hoagy Carmichael).

We make it into Edinburgh about 11 and after the bus to the station then the train to Cupar I eventually walk up the icy hill at Eden Park and wish everyone a belated 'Happy New Year'.

Reservations are busy - which is good!

Operations are busy preparing Joining Instructions for Up Helly Aa which is due to depart on the 24th of the month. This is a great holiday - Shetland in mid-winter - dark all day, horizontal rain, and everyone has a whale of a time - it must be the hairy vikings!

Quickly it seems that I have never been away!

Tuesday 12th January 2010

I wake at 0530 thinking it was 0730 and jump into the shower – Kay curses me for waking little Linsey and tells me to get back to bed – but I’m up now and take Linsey down to the kitchen for 2 hours of ‘Cbeebies’ – the dogs are none too chuffed at being woken so early either!

At last I get out of Somerset and catch a train to London from Bristol Parkway. On arrival at the station a chap is covering his car with a large tarpaulin ‘More snow on the way’ he says cheerfully.

Travelling across England I am amazed by the Arctic scenes, then arriving into Paddinton it has gone. Central London has no snow.

I’m at the AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators) ‘Meet the Media’ day followed by ‘Meet the Public’ evening held at The Brewery (rather appropriately for a gathering of Tour Operators!)

It’s cold and miserable, and I get the distinct impression that no-one really wants to be there. By eleven the first Journalists arrive and mooch around – the lunchtime free food brings more out. I am hoping that someone wants to write an article about our lovely Garden Holidays – a couple of years ago we got a page in the Independent on our Highland and Islands holiday which generated a great deal of interest.

It is good to see some of the other Tour Operators – our stand is opposite Great Railway Journeys and next to Bushbaby Travel – everyone is very nice and we all moan about the poor quality of the journalists.

Sadly we don’t win the AITO company of the year (again!) - Well done VFB!

Phil from Baltic Holidays always makes me laugh – he is so laid-back he is almost horizontal.

The best bit of being part of AITO is the networking with other owner/managers of specialist Tour Operators.

A good couple of leads appear at the last minute – so perhaps it has not been a waste of time after all.

The public event in the evening is a disaster, with only a handful of people turning up. The general feeling is that the weather has put people off and the event is in the wrong place. I dash for an earlier train and catch the 8.15 with a minute to spare. I huff and puff, sweat and curse the heavy package of brochures I have had to lug around London’s Underground.

Kay is pleased that I’m on the earlier train as it has just started to snow heavily once again in Somerset.

Back in Parkway I curse the car parked next to me tucked up nicely under its tarpaulin as I scrape the thick snow off my car and slither down the M5 and get home about 11. It has been a long day!

Friday 8th January 2010

The weather still fills the news and it seems the minds of the nation – surely people will start thinking about escaping this country on a nice sunny Garden Holiday?!

It is young Sarah’s last day with Brightwater Holidays – after a year and a half she has decided that what she really wants to do is be a nurse – I am genuinely sorry that I am not in the office to say goodbye to her as she is such a lovely young girl – I wish her well over the phone and hope she has learnt something about the world of Tour Operating – and at least her geography should be a bit better!

A classic Sarah moment was when she confidently told a customer that... ‘Yes we do tours to Iran’

Blank faces looked at one and other around the Reservations room.

‘No we don’t!’ Alison flapped across the room ‘ We do tours to Arran – the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde!’

Good luck Sarah, you were great and were always smiling!

Thursday 7th January 2010

Bristol Airport is closed, so no trip to Scotland for me – even if it was open, the roads around my house are choked with snow and unless you have a big 4x4 you have no chance of going anywhere. It seems attitudes are warming to 4x4 drivers, they are having good press for helping people out in the bad weather. I re-schedule Watlington Garden Club for January 2011 – surely lightening won’t strike twice? Or in this case snow.

Better bookings in the office. Mailings and repeat customers mostly. Good response from our double page advertisement in the RHS Garden magazine.

Wednesday 6th January 2010

I speak to Waltlington Garden Club to cancel first thing – more snow overnight and Somerset is at a standstill – I try to make a couple of calls to show willing, but end up sledging with the kids and making a large snowman in the back garden – just like the rest of the country is doing. A fantastic satellite photo appears on the front page of most papers showing the whole of the UK under a blanket of snow. The office in Cupar is not affected by new snow but it is very cold and the car park is like an ice-rink. The phones are ringing but quieter than we would like.

Tuesday 5th January 2010

Huge fall of snow in the south of England and particularly in the West Country – I am up to my knees in snow – Alison in Cupar is none too impressed ‘It’s fine here’ she says helpfully!

I am supposed to be speaking to a Garden Club at Watlington near Oxford tomorrow night and the organiser phones to find out how the snow is with me, as the M4 corridor is reported to be very bad. We agree to speak tomorrow morning. I catch up with emails and make a few calls from my office at the bottom of the garden. Mike Nelhams on Tresco is not too concerned about the weather – it is plus 5 and raining with him. Meanwhile in the office all hands are getting the last of a large mailshot out to previous enquirers. I worry that when such bad weather takes grip everything stops – no-one is interested in anything but the present and how are they going to stay warm.

Monday 4th January 2010

Office open in Cupar with a skeleton staff, as Scotland officially still celebrating (recovering?) from New Year. Touch base with Alison who says it was busy in the morning then tailed off. Felt it was good to come in and get emails sorted and brochure requests out. Snow and ice still bad in Scotland, staff couldn’t get cars up the hill to the office – parked at the bottom – but I am assured main roads OK.

Saturday 2nd January 2010

Long drive south with Angus and the dogs back to Somerset – snow gone by Gretna – M6 Horrific with volume of traffic! Angus spots 97 Eddie Stobart lorries and manages to get a fishing hook stuck in his jeans – present from Grandpa. Good lad!

Friday 1st January 2010

New Year, new Brightwater blog – A year in the life of Brightwater Holidays starts today.

New Year finds me struggling through spectacular snow drifts trying to get across from Glenelg in the Western Highlands to Inverness airport to deposit Kay, and the girls, Eleanor (14) little Linsey (2) to fly south to Bristol. Eleanor giving me extreme pressure to get her to Bristol Airport for her school ski trip tomorrow. We make it to Inverness (just!) Glen Moriston spectacular with roadside birch trees bent double with the weight of snow – the glen looks like Narnia. Get to the airport to find it closed for the rest of the day due to ice on the runway. Great! Eleanor giving me gip in the back of the car – what can I do but drive through the night to Bristol? Relief comes when we get them on a late flight out of Edinburgh – good old Easyjet – don’t you love them!

Angus (11) and I overnight with Dad/Grandpa near Stirling.